Akintunde Akinsehinwa (1944–1976): Nigeria’s First ADC to Die in the Line of Duty

Akintunde Akinsehinwa was a Nigerian Army officer and aide-de-camp (ADC) to General Murtala Ramat Muhammed, Nigeria’s Head of State from 1975 until his assassination in 1976. Born on November 11, 1944, in Ondo City, he completed his secondary education in Benin City and earned his West African School Certificate in 1963 .

With the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War in 1967, Akinsehinwa joined the Nigerian Army and trained at the Nigerian Army School of Infantry, Jaji. After six months, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and posted to the front lines with the 3rd Marine Commando Division, under the command of Colonel Benjamin Adekunle. He actively participated in military operations to suppress the Biafran secession.

On February 13, 1976, during an attempted military coup in Lagos, General Murtala Muhammed’s motorcade was ambushed. Although General Muhammed and his driver were killed instantly, Akinsehinwa initially survived, exited the vehicle, and returned fire. He was eventually shot multiple times and killed in action. At just 31 years old, he became the first aide-de-camp to die while serving a Nigerian head of state, remembered for his courage and loyalty.